Labyrinth of Life
by coeurnoir
Summary: Draco had been moulded and groomed since the day he was born to succeed his father in the family’s infamous career as death eaters. Hermione had always been one of the golden trio. Things change in the labyrinth they call life.
1. Chapter 1: What Life is This?

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 1: What Life Is This?**

**By coeurnoir**

**A/N: hope you guys enjoy this chapter, this is my first story and i am open to all constructive criticism so that i can decide where to go with the story. all ideas are welcome and will be taken into consideration.**

It was early in the morning, the view outside his window was still grey and red streaked the horizon. It would be a warm day. He rolled over to see what was waking him up. It was his father's personal house elf, Mira. She looked slightly scared, as did all the house elves when they confronted their master, Lucius Malfoy.

"I'm sorry to wake you young Master but your father would like to speak with you in his study." Draco groaned. "Thankyou Mira. I shall be there as soon as I have bathed and dressed."

Draco rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. The house elves had poured him a bath and set out clothes appropriate for a meeting with his father.

Draco hurried along the dark corridors to his fathers study. He didn't understand why his father kept the manor so dark with heavy curtains, it made the place very uninviting, but it wasn't like he was going to say anything to his father about it. No one gave suggestions to Lucius Malfoy, those who were alive anyway…

After knocking on the heavy oak door and being commanded to enter, Draco pushed the door open and fixed his face into a neutral expression, it didn't do to show how he thought in front of his father.

Malfoy stood before his father the room was dark with bookshelves lining the walls. Lucius sat behind his great oak desk and smiled at his son. That wasn't a good sign. That was never a good sign.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Draco prepared himself; he had no idea what this was about.

"Ah yes, Draco, I came to discuss your coming of age next week. As you are turning seventeen, I would like you to join the Dark Lord's cause. Your initiation ceremony is next week the day after your birthday. I suggest you spend the better part of this week preparing. You are also to get your apparating licence that day, all members of the Death Eaters must be able to apparate to our Master's side within seconds of his call."

Lucius looked up at his son with pale grey eyes identical to those of his son, "any questions?"

Malfoy shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to be a Death Eater. He didn't want to be like his father whom he had realised was a cruel and ruthless bastard. His mother Narcissa has helped him to realise that. She had told him when he had started to become like his father. Narcissa sought refuge in her son whenever her husband restricted her more and more, she wasn't even allowed to have friends as she might gossip to them about her husbands going ons. They became like prisoners in their own home.

He loved it when he went to school, he had freedom at Hogwarts, despite having to put up with dunderheads sucking up Dumbledore's arse. He knew that soon he was going to come to love Hogwarts. Now he knew he was going to regret his decision no matter which direction he chose.

"Sir, what if it is not my wish to join the Death Eaters?" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. He wished he could snatch them out of the air and stuff them back in his mouth. His fathers jaw twitched. It was the only way anyone could ever tell that he was angry.

"Since when was it your choice as to what you choose to do with your life when you live under my roof? You will do as you're told and nothing else"

Malfoy shook his head. Now that he started there was no turning back. "I don't want to, it's my choice!" all Draco heard was a snarled spell coming from hi father and then Draco blacked out. He was in a part of the study that was usually concealed by a false bookshelf. Often he had seen his mother here, tied with her arms above her head just as his was now. Face against the pole. He heard his father and looked to see what he was doing and what he saw he didn't like. His father was going to the shelf behind his desk. That was never a good sign. He slid a box out of the shelf and drew a long thin whip out.

From the next half hour he didn't remember a great amount. It was all a blur of pain. The lash of the whip falling like fire on his back, the blood that dripped out slipping down the small of his back and soaking into his black pants. Draco had suffered this fate before. He had failed a subject at Hogwarts last year because of Potty and Weasel and their insufferable meddling; he had found himself here.

But he refused to make a sound. Even when the salt of his sweat ran into the cuts he didn't utter a sound. It went on until his father was tired and got bored and left him alone, but not until he had told him that he was having guests over for dinner and he was expected to be in attendance.

Draco woke later in his chambers; someone was washing his back with a cloth and cold water. It gave a lot of relief, yet occasionally the cloth would snag and it would hurt. Draco took in a deep breath and winced. "I told him no, mother." The hands on his back paused briefly, only to keep going. "I know you did, Honey. Why did you do that?" He tried to turn his head and look at her but thought the better of it once he realised how much it hurt. "Do you think I was stupid?"

Narcissa gave a hollow laugh. "Who can blame you? Although I don't know anyone that's disagreed with him and lived since I married him. He must believe that there's some hope for you yet." His back was now clean so Narcissa put a mild healing charm on his back. Not healing the wounds completely lest her husband find out.

"You have to leave. He won't try to find you if you stay away long enough. Go stay in the muggle world for a while. I don't want to see you getting forced into that world of slavery. You deserve better than that. I have managed to organise a bank account for you in my maiden name at Gringotts that you could live off comfortably for a couple of years, plus finish your schooling. I suggest you leave tonight. After tea. Start packing now and take your broom. Hogwarts starts again in two weeks, if you stay at the Leaky Cauldron until then, or actually don't tell me. Just be in the least likely spot that anyone would look for you."

His mother stood gracefully from her spot next to him on his bed and started walking towards the door, just before she left she paused and added thoughtfully "Wait till after dinner though so you have all night to get away," and with that she left. Leaving Draco shell shocked, he had never known his mother to be in the least bit defiant.

He struggled to his feet, attempting to not pull the torn skin on his back and started shoving things into his Hogwarts trunk. What else was he to do?

Once he had finished packing he realised that if he didn't start getting ready for tea his father was going to rip into him. Father had said that they were having guests, but as usual he didn't say who these guests were going to be…

So Draco simply eased on his dinner jacket, making sure that it didn't pull too tight on his back, and took a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His suit was a clean black neatly tailored to his trim figure. He wore an emerald shirt and a black tie. His hair was loosely tied back, having let it grow past his shoulders. His father was particular about the fact that Draco never wore it loose in public. After he left he would probably cut it though, it was a nuisance.

At six on the dot he arrived in the Reception room of the manor to meet the guests. His stomach plummeted when he saw who it was.

It was the Parkinson's. There was Pansy looking like a slut in a low cut gown that hugged her rounded figure far too much and the bright red lipstick looked like she had dressed up for a night on the town rather than a respectable dinner.

Typically he was expected to sit next to Pansy as his parents and hers chatted. Pansy kept trying to draw Draco into conversation, but typically it always centred around her so Draco got bored very fast. As Pansy's talking kept going, Draco thought about whether or not he had packed all the things that he needed to survive on his own.

Finally dinner finished and they retired to the drawing room for drinks, besides, Lucius said that he had a rather important announcement to make and needed him there to make it. His father stood up with his glass of whiskey in his hand and addressed the small party.

" Thankyou very much Mr and Mrs Parkinson for joining my family this evening, and a further thanks for bringing your beautiful daughter with you." At this remark Pansy blushed and fluttered her eyelids, not a good look. " Myself and Mr Parkinson have decided that it is in our family's best interests for the future if Pansy and Draco get married."

There was a shocked pause as their wives and children absorbed this news. Then an excited squeal as Pansy grabbed Draco in a rib crushing hug that sent his back on fire.

"Oh Drakey! Isn't this wonderful?" Draco could barely breathe through the pain.

"Fantastic!" he managed to gasp. He had to get out of here tonight. If he was stuck getting married to that twit he would kill himself.

As soon as he was free he shrunk his trunk till it fit into his backpack and jumped on his nimbus and was out of the window before you could say quidditch.

A little over an hour later he arrived at the Leaky Cauldron looking a little dishevelled from the weather. Five minutes later he was placed in a warm room by Tom and had a warm mug of hot chocolate in his hands. He felt in no way at ease though. He knew that in the morning his father would be looking for him.

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The room looked like what any of your average teenagers would have in their room. There were clothes everywhere, there were posters of bands everywhere and schoolbooks piled on the desk. It didn't take much to realise that it was different though. The pictures moved, the bands were unheard of in mainstream music, and the textbooks weren't exactly Standard English Schoolbooks featuring titles such as _An Essential Study Guide To Potions_. Curled up in one corner of the room on the bed was a seventeen-year-old girl with bushy brown hair and hazel eyes. She was crying, the tears making tracks down her pale skin.

Hermione was reading a book and trying to shut out the noises from outside her door. Her parents were fighting again down in their room. Apparently her Dad had gone out and gotten drunk with a couple of mates last night and he'd copped a drink driving ticket on the way home.

This wasn't an odd occurrence. Dad's drinking was beginning to become a nuisance and infringe on not just family life. In the past month alone he'd had to call in sick to several shifts at the clinic because he was too hung over to complete his appointments for the day. He'd hit her Mum the other day for yelling at him for coming home drunk for the third time in a week.

Her Mum had stopped talking to him except to yell at him, both of them were too depressed to talk to Hermione. She just snuck downstairs every now and then to eat, which was even then rare, or go out but other than that they ignored her. Her father had told her to go away and "do her nerdy thing" the other day when she had tried to sit and watch the television with him.

If her friends from school had seen her they would have cried out in shock. She had drastically lost weight and there were permanently bags under her eyes.

Ever since her little brother died things had just gone downhill. Mum and dad loved Connor so much. He was their golden boy. He had only been in his second year of high school, he wasn't a weird magical person and was captain of the football team **(A/N: that means soccer to all non football fans) **and got grades just as good as Hermione. It wasn't her fault though that he'd had an accident at the river. He and his mates thought that it would be a fantastic idea to go fishing not long after a storm and the river was much higher and stronger than usual. Connor had caught an impressive fish; he was just getting it in when the bank crumbled. They didn't find his body till the next day. It had gotten pinned to underwater debris.

Her parents had been miserable since and hadn't even touched his room; it was exactly how he had left it when he had left that morning.

That day was six weeks ago, in two weeks it was time for her to return to school, she wanted to go but at the same time she was dreading it.

She had become miserable. The boys had barely talked to her all summer since the funeral. They weren't sure what to say to her and they kept tiptoeing around her. This just made her feel worse. Harry was too busy with Ginny and trying to prove to Ron that he didn't need to kill him because he was going out with his sister. He needn't have bothered because Ron spent most of his time with his new girlfriend Sarah from Hufflepuff who was rather impressed with Ron since he had become the Quidditch team Keeper.

Hermione knew that she couldn't talk to the boys about it anyway. They wouldn't understand. She looked at the wizards photo she kept of the three of them on her bedside and knew that part of her life had just locked itself away and lost the key.

Her parents didn't even want her to go back. They had told her that they were sick of telling their friends that she went to some fancy school in the north of England, sick of making up lies about what her favourite subjects were and having weird things left about the house. Besides, why couldn't she come home? They needed her around the home after her brother died. They didn't get it. She needed to be away. Hermione had loved her little brother to death, they were really close writing at least once a week. She couldn't handle everyone leaning on her.

Listening once more to the sounds of screaming and thrown objects from down the hall Hermione made up her mind. She got dressed into suitable clothes, she'd been living in her pyjamas lately. Black hipster jeans, a black hoodie and she started packing her trunk and gathering up her personal items. She couldn't handle another moment of life inside this house.

After she had shrunk her trunk to the size of a matchbox and shoved it in her pocket, Hermione climbed out of the window and apparated to the leaky cauldron. She forced her face into a semblance of a happy expression and walked into the bar.

Tom looked up from cleaning glasses at the bar and gave a yellow-toothed grin. Tom loved seeing Hermione and her friends. "Here to stay are we Miss Granger?"

"That would be lovely Tom. I'll get a hot chocolate for when I'm up there too if you wouldn't mind, it's rather cool outside tonight for some reason."

Once up in her room, Hermione started unpacking. She'd saved up money over the holidays from a summer job at the local pet store. Hermione had turned seventeen just before the holidays and her boss had proclaimed that she had never had a cleaner store and gave her a large bonus at the end of her time there. Since Hermione hadn't spent a pound of that money (she hadn't gone out,) she found that she had plenty to live off and to buy her textbooks with. Snuggling up in her blankets, tears ran down her cheeks as she thought about how her life had changed. The boys ignored her, her parents were on the brink of divorce and now she had run away and was all alone, again.

So she spent her days in Diagon Alley, perusing the bookstores and purchasing what she needed for the year ahead. Hermione still felt lonely and depressed, but since she was in a bit more of a positive atmosphere her mood had lightened a little. After she had been there a couple of days, she was sitting at Fortescue's ice cream parlour enjoying the sun and a tall glass of chilled lemon, lime and bitters when she saw the last person in the world that she wanted to see.

Draco Malfoy.

**A/N: As i said before, hope you enjoyed. review please to help me along. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the author of Harry Potter, the story here however is mine.**


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Ally

**Labyrinth Of Life**

**Chapter two: An Unexpected Ally**

**By coeurnoir**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, her buying price is too high…**

**A/N: Okay guys here's chapter two, hope you enjoy.**

She was sitting at Fortescue's ice cream parlour enjoying the sun and a tall glass of chilled lemon, lime and bitters when she saw the last person in the world that she wanted to see.

_Draco Malfoy._

Much to her surprise, Draco ignored her completely. He simply walked in, bought an ice cream and did no more than give her the trademark Malfoy smirk! He always had some kind of derogatory comment for her no matter what. What was happening now? Maybe he hadn't seen her. Her peace now ruined, Hermione headed back to the Leaky Cauldron it was almost teatime anyway and Tom had convinced her to take it in the guest dining room.

There was a downstairs dining room that the guests at the Leaky Cauldron used at teatime rather than to eat in their rooms. Hermione took a table to herself at the back of the room despite Tom's continuous invitations to join others. Hermione thought that dining alone wasn't so bad, she liked just being on her own and reading a book while she ate. She had bought her textbooks for the year ahead already; so sitting in front of her at the moment was her Arithmancy book. Being her favourite subject, she was hoping that it would cheer her up a little bit.

Then another guest strolled in. Draco Malfoy. Since when did he stay at _low class_ establishments like this? She expected to see him staying at the crossed cauldrons on the other end of Diagon Alley, it was far more posh, expensive and up to the famous Malfoy standards.

What was Draco doing here? Why would he stay at a hotel that he had constantly called unkempt and filthy? Oh well. She could easily just ignore him; she wasn't here to pick fights with old enemies.

All throughout the dinner though Hermione noticed Draco giving her odd looks, but every time that Hermione looked up, he had looked away quickly or had become very interested in his food. She studied him intently for a minute, when he noticed her scrutiny he scowled and attacked his steak with renewed concentration, yet with a surprising amount of etiquette.

Hermione finished up quickly and left the dining room, turning down offers to play wizards chess from wizards who had noticed she was alone. She couldn't believe how many people played the game! It was an epidemic! It was also well known in the Leaky Cauldron that she was great friends with Harry Potter, so everyone wanted to get to know her well,. Who knows, they might get to meet Harry Potter himself through her. She let out a sigh of relief as she left the room. No more Malfoy for a little while.

She hadn't gotten that far though before Malfoy confronted her in the hallway. Somehow he'd left before her and was now leaning against the hallway wall, arms crossed and yes, there was the smirk. Same old Malfoy she thought with a sigh. As she approached he stood up and blocked her path.

"I thought I'd be rid of you when I left the dining room, Malfoy. What do you want?" Hermione stood there with her arms crossed knowing that while she couldn't get away, she could always get a rise out of him to entertain herself.

"I don't know. What's a filthy little mud blood like you doing staying here then? Ran away from home did we?" Draco's all too familiar smirk was playing over his face. Hermione's face crumpled. She tried to walk past but he wouldn't let her. She couldn't handle this right now. Malfoy moved closer, forcing Hermione against the wall. His arm blocked her in on one side as he stood in front of her. "Or did your stupid muggle parents finally realise just how loathsome you really are?"

Hermione trembled, as Malfoy's face was only inches from hers. A look of puzzlement came over his face. It wasn't like Hermione to get upset at his words. The last time he had upset her she had socked him a decent right hook to the face. He was waiting for it, but it wasn't coming.

"What's wrong, Granger? Lost your bravery now the boys aren't here to back you up?" She lost it. The tears she had been trying to hold back let loose. And she ran.

Malfoy stood there in shock. He had fully been expected a punch in the face, or worse. He had to admit that it took all the fun out of it for him and now he just felt like an arsehole. Not that he didn't act like one all the time, but that was when his father or friends had been around him and he had to act like the Slytherin Princeling that he was.

He felt an odd sensation, a little twinge in his chest where he supposed his heart was. He felt rotten. Why? Then he hated himself for what he did next, it went against his entire upbringing.

He went after her.

He knew she didn't go to her room, he'd scoped that out on his first day at the pub, making sure that none of his father's cronies had made it as far as to know where he ran off to. So Draco continued to go up the stairs to where he knew that Tom had a rather shabby owlery. It was from here that he heard Hermione's sniffing and her softly swearing at herself.

Draco sat down on the other side of the owlery, pretending not to notice the pile of poop he squished into. Hermione started, having not heard him come up the stairs. He stayed silent for a minute, each of them just staring at the other, not daring to look away. Then it hit him. For the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy was unsure of what to do!

"Granger, I…" Draco fumbled for words. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Granger, I feel… no. Are you okay?" Hermione stared at him wordlessly. "I mean you never get upset when I pick on you. I was expecting you to sock me one in the nose. I guess I was looking for it. I just wanted to know what happened?"

"You don't want to know," Hermione muttered. Malfoy bristled at that.

"Granger, if I ask a question I don't ask because I don't want to know. I ask because I want to know." Realising his tone was harsh he softened it so that she wouldn't get more upset. "Please? What did I say?"

Hermione sniffed and looked out the windows of the owlery at the stars. Unlike in London you could see these stars. Hermione didn't know what to say, it was Malfoy after all! But he wasn't acting like Malfoy. Well I don't have to tell him everything I guess. She took a deep breath.

"You said that my parents didn't want me, found me loathsome. I don't think you know how true that is." She stared off into the distance, pain in her heart, remembering. Malfoy moved a bit closer, he was next to her now.

"You're kidding me right? I've seen you at the train station; you're lucky that they even let you go! That kid brother of yours didn't seem to want to let you go either! The one that looks exactly like you? I wish I had a brother."

At the mention of her brother Hermione froze. She was all cried out, she had cried so much in the past six weeks that she didn't believe it physically possible to cry anymore.

Draco sensed that he had hit a sore spot and backed off a little bit. Well I'm sure that your parents love you. It would be impossible not to. (He said this with mother in mind not his father.) He also felt that he had probed enough for a day. He couldn't believe that he was being friendly with "the Mudblood". But he'd only done it 'cause his father made him, then he just did it again out of habit.

Malfoy rose, until he was crouching on his toes and looked at her. "Hermione, I'm going to bed because I'm covered in owl shit and it's not very comfortable. I suggest you do the same." He hadn't even noticed that he'd called her by her first name. She had, she was looking at him confused.

"Um, goodnight – Draco."

Draco went straight back to his room and changed into a clean pair of boxers before jumping into bed. He stayed up late, lying awake in his bed, thinking of Hermione and wondering what had happened, with her brother especially. He wouldn't force it out of her but he was curious.

Hermione however stayed up in the owlery until very late thinking about Draco and what was making him be nice? Why wasn't he at home? She eventually decided that it was time to go back to her room. But before she could move a snowy white ball of feathers landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

"Hedwig! What are you doing here? I haven't heard from Harry for a month!" She untied the tiny scroll from her outstretched leg and gave her a scratch on the head before she flew to the water dish.

_Dear Hermione, _

_I'm at the Burrow for my normal summer visit. Mrs Weasley says that we'll be going for our Hogwarts shopping trip in a week on Thursday. We hope that this finds you and that we can see you there. Take care._

_Harry._

Hermione ran down to her room so that she could quickly pen a reply. She wrote that she would meet them at Fortescue's at 9. then sent Hedwig off with her reply.

Shoot, that was nine days away! What was she going to do for nine days?

**A/N: this chapter is a bit shorter but I felt it was needed so that Hermione and Draco could get to meet. I'll try to not have Hermione being a sop too much but considering her circumstances I'll cut her some slack.**

**I need more reviews! So that I can write the story well I need to know what you think and your ideas on the story. I may not go with every idea but constructive criticism goes a long way! A saying I got off another writer is that "if you can read it you can review it! "**


	3. Chapter 3: Found REVISED!

**Labyrinth Of Life**

**Chapter Three: Found**

**By coeurnoir**

**Disclaimer: I once owned Harry Potter, and then my brother snapped the figurine in half.

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**A/N: Hey guys I decided to revise this chapter due to a review I got and some comments from my mates who read my notes. I wasn't explaining the relationship developing with Draco and Hermione very well and what was in my head wasn't exactly coming out on paper. Sorry it's been a really bad week for me with personal reasons and all so I'm sorry for stuffing it around.**

**I need the reviews guys, my hits and my reviews are NOWHERE near matching HALFWAY with each other and I don't know if it's because people don't like what they're reading or if they just cant be bothered. I need the reviews to keep the story going!**

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Hermione awoke and found herself in a good mood despite the previous nights events. She wasn't completely certain about what happened with Draco, wasn't he supposed to be her enemy? He didn't act like it in the least. She wondered what brought about the change. She decided that she was going to find out at breakfast if he was in the dining room.

She dressed comfortably after her shower in a pair of black jeans with a dragon embroidered on the side and a red singlet top. She used her wand to dry and curl her hair, a neat trick the other girls in her dormitory had shown her last year.

Draco was shocked when Hermione walked straight to his table at breakfast and started ordering her meal as though everything were normal. He stared at her groggily, still slightly asleep.

"What you doing sitting with me?" he asked sleepily. Hermione popped him a friendly grin. "Good morning, Draco. How did you sleep?" He asked ignoring his sleepy comment. She dug into her porridge that he noticed was disgustingly drowned in brown sugar and apricots.

"Fine, once I got rid of the smell of owl." He scowled. Hermione gathered that he liked staying clean. She decided to be her usual direct self and ask him what the go was. "Malfoy, what exactly happened last night? I mean, one minute you're treating me like an incurable disease, the next you're concerned about my welfare. Sorry to state the obvious but it's not really like you!" Draco wasn't sure what to say.

"Maybe I've left certain influences in my life that made me a mean person and I didn't realise till last night that being that person really isn't me." He felt confused. "I don't really know. One minute I was bagging on you, then the next, I felt bad for it! can we not go on about it?" He muttered uncomfortably, "this isn't exactly my favourite topic." Hermione didn't really completely understand but she appreciated his effort in explaining. She noticed that he was about as confused as she was so she let it drop.

Realising that Hermione didn't find him mean and scary anymore, he was surprised to find that he felt good about the fact. He was sick of being like his father, cruel in every aspect of his life, even family. His father no longer directly influenced his behaviour and he liked it. it was his chance to become his own person. _(A/N: I had questions as to why Draco and Hermione were getting along so well, this paragraph is one of the reasons, Draco only acted like he did because of his dad. Well, in my story anyway…)_

Hermione and Draco kept up a cheerful banter throughout breakfast. They discussed school and found that they were doing a few of the same subjects.

"Have you got your booklist yet?" inquired Hermione, "I found out what all my textbooks were last year except for potions, Snape wouldn't tell me his. So naturally, I already have all my books except for his." She growled in frustration, she liked to read all her textbooks at least once before she started her school year. Draco smirked,

"You mean _Advanced Potions for NEWTS Students_? I have a copy in my room. I found out what it was the week before school ended. As you know, Snape loves me and I had but to ask!" Draco saw the look on her face and could imagine what Snape had said to her last year when she had asked for the book list. "Would you like to borrow it?" Her face lit up like Christmas lights. He took that for a yes and promised that he would bring it down for her at tea.

"Hey, do you know how to play wizard's chess?" asked Malfoy, he loved the game like any typical wizard and had been craving a game for a few days.

"How can I not know how to play? I'm a friend of two of the biggest chess nuts in the universe! I think that it's needlessly violent but I can play."

And with that Hermione headed to the Lounge room while Draco rushed upstairs to his room to get his set. And then the competition began.

Hermione rarely played the game but she was a brilliant tactician, despite being rusty. Draco won the first couple, then Hermione started to get into it and soon the groans were coming from Draco's side of the table. The competition went for hours, neither could remember whom had won the most games. They had repaired the set too many times to count and so decided to take a rest.

Hermione stretched, running her slender fingers through her golden brown hair. She glanced at the clock on the wall and started.

"Merlin! It's close to half three and we haven't even had lunch! Tom stopped serving over an hour ago. Dammit, I'm starved!"

Draco swore, then pointed out that they could just go somewhere to eat. Hermione convinced him that she knew a great place to go. In Muggle London.

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It took magnificent negotiating skills on her part, but he finally agreed to go. She took him to a pizza parlour not too far away from the Leaky Cauldron, Peppi's. Hermione had grown up in London and the owner, Carlos loved her to bits and had no problems telling Draco stories about when Hermione used to come in as a toddler with or without her parents.

He served up a margarita pizza and Draco immediately fell in love with it. He ended up eating a whole one to himself. They sat chatting for a while as they had a cool drink. Hermione glanced at her watch and then at Draco.

"We'd better head back, it's almost time to get dark. Thankyou Carlos! It was great to see you again!" He sent them off with another mini pizza in a bag for Draco.

"I have the world's biggest stomach ache!" cried Draco. Hermione simply laughed at him and kept walking. He'll learn, she thought, eventually.

As they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, Draco couldn't help but to feel a little uneasy. He kept looking over his shoulder, and at one point he swore that he had just seen someone in black robes turn into an alley just as he turned around. Hermione sensed his unease and looked over her shoulder as well.

"What's wrong? Why do you keep acting like we're being tailed?" her voice shook a little, she was nervous.

"Because someone is tailing us. And I don't want to find out who." He started walking twice as fast, Hermione trotting to keep up with his long paces. It was almost dark now and they were still a few minutes from the pub. Looking back they saw three people in flowing black robes and hoods over their faces. Draco dragged Hermione into a run.

"Why are we running Draco?" She panted. "Who are they?" it was hard for her to keep up with his quidditch-trained body, as unlike him she didn't do sports.

"Just keep going! I'll tell you when we get there!"

They rounded the corner and saw the pub. Renewing their efforts they made it into the door before their pursuers made it around the corner. Panting they continued up to Hermione's room and sat on the floor next to the bed.

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"You are going to tell me what that was about and you're going to tell me now." Hermione's expression was dangerous. She didn't like it a single bit when things happened around her and she didn't know what was happening.

"It's a long story," sighed Draco. Hermione leaned against him and shut her eyes. She was tired out. "Take all night if you want to Draco. Trust me, I'm not moving."

Draco let out the story, in an edited form. He didn't mention his mother, or his punishments from Father. He did tell her about Pansy though and laughed as she shuddered at his description of her evening wear.

"I ran away last week. My father had made some decisions for me in my life that I didn't want to do. He had arranged a marriage and basically arranged my entire career for me before I could decide what I wanted to do with my life. Everything that he organised, even the marriage was going to happen tomorrow and some people are going to be pissed that I'm not there, my father is one of the less dangerous of them. There, there is my problem in a nutshell. One day I'll probably tell you the rest. When are you going to tell me your story girl?"

Hermione stiffened in his lap a little. She wanted to tell Draco about Connor, more than anything to have someone to talk to about it. She just didn't know how he would react. So, taking a deep breath she told him. Everything. Draco just sat there in shocked silence. Wrapping his arms around her as her eyes started leaking tears. As she finished Draco pulled her up onto her bed and wrapped her into his arms once more. His shirt was soaked on the front where Hermione had her face pressed into it. He didn't mind, Draco just continued to hold her and rub her back as she calmed down.

He looked down at her; she was beginning to get drowsy. He kissed her on the forehead and went to leave. She tightened her hold on him and begged him not to go. So fully clothed, the two of them slept, wrapped up in an embrace that comforted them both, letting them know that they weren't alone.

Hermione woke early the next morning, and realised that Draco was sleeping next to her on her bed. She wondered what in Merlin's name she had been thinking. She remembered their day yesterday and how much fun they had. She smiled when she remembered his explanations for his change in behaviour. Just hearing him unsure of how to explain himself made her sure he was telling the truth.

She didn't want to move for fear of waking Draco he looked so peaceful. So she lay there watching him sleep, his clothes wrinkled, his colourless hair had come out of its tail and surrounded his face. She continued to stew on his change in character. She'd see what he is like when he wakes, that'll tell it. She hoped that it wasn't just a one-day wonder event, she'd had a lot of fun with him and she felt a kind of connection with him she'd never felt with anyone else. She sighed; she'd see when he woke up. She eventually fell back into a snooze; unable to keep her eyes open in her relaxed state.

He finally woke to the sight of Hermione whom had dozed off again. He thought about their day yesterday and again wondered what he was doing with Granger, it went against everything that his father had forced into him since he could talk. He didn't regret it though. He couldn't think of words that described how he felt when he was with her, unlike anything he had ever felt. She was intelligent, witty and liked to have fun. He liked this whole living his own life thing. He could learn to love to live with it. Without thinking he leant over and kissed her on the forehead, waking her. She looked at him and smiled. He leant over again. This time he kissed her on her small soft lips.

Shocked at first, it took a couple of seconds before she kissed him back. They both then lay back and looked at each other. "I think the world just changed a little for the both of us," Malfoy whispered. "I just want to say I'm sorry for all that I've done to you over the years, and I know this is fast but how I feel with you is just too awesome." Hermione grinned. "Thanks Draco. Right back at you."

"I have to go get changed," Draco murmured tiredly. And he got up slowly, stretching to his full height of six feet four inches and slowly walked from the room.

* * *

His mind was ticking real fast as he headed up to his room, slowly climbing a set of stairs at one end o the maze of corridors. He didn't regret kissing Hermione, she was a beautiful girl and he couldn't believe it took him so long to figure it out, he just didn't know what the rest of the wizarding population would have to say about it.

Upon entering his room he got a shock. The place was a shambles. His clothing was thrown everywhere, his schoolbooks ripped up and his broom was snapped in half. There was only one empty spot in the whole room and that was his desk. All his belongings had been swiped off it and there sat a letter, written in deep red ink with his name in big letters at the top.

_Draco, _

_Needless to say I am very disappointed in you. Your mother and future wife are very worried as to your health and safety and our Master is anxious that you don't miss your big day. As you failed to meet with my colleagues last night, you have one more opportunity to meet them at Knockturn Alley at 12 noon or they will come and collect you from the inn along with your new friend, we need to have a conversation about your consorting with mudbloods. It's very disappointing to hear.._

_Lucius._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: There's a really cool button just down on the bottom left of the screen!!! it lets you review my work so i can make it better just like i did with this chapter, (well at least i hope i did..) if you read this chapter before it was changed, or even didn't pleeeeeez review!!!**

**P.S for those of you who may not know, a margarita pizza is not an alcoholic pizza! It's a pizza with cheese and herbs, (sometimes garlic or tomato) its really nice you should try one. I wasn't sure how popular they are so I thought I'd pop this just in case.**


	4. Chapter 4: Separation

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 4: Separation**

**By coeurnoir**

**Disclaimer: Labyrinth of Life is a work of fanfiction but the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long guys, there was a problem with the site or my comp and I couldn't update. Sorry for misleading u guys in the last chapter, I didn't do it on purpose (I Swear…!). Have fun, I really do hope you like it. happy reading and happy REVIEWING!!! **

Draco was stressed out about the situation he was in. He had been found by his father for which he was still mentally kicking himself for staying in the most obvious place. And he had … Befriended? His worst enemy's best friend, a girl he'd spent six years trying to make life hell for just because of who her friends were. What was going on with his life? Why was he finding it so hard to find his way?

Draco had been moulded and groomed since the day he was born to succeed his father in the family's infamous career as death eaters. He had known since the age of fifteen that it wasn't the career path he wanted. But, scared of his father like any sane person in the wizarding world, he kept his mouth shut.

It was an extremely well kept secret between Draco and his best mate Blaise Zabini that the both of them had lost interest in their support of the dark lord. This was for numerous reasons. Blaise wanted to live in a happy world, and had realised that if the Dark Lord was in charge, then not only would a lot of innocent people die but also it would result in chaos if he didn't keep control of his death eaters or anarchy if he did.

Draco was for similar reasons; he simply didn't want to live in a world where a Dark lunatic was in charge. If a single other person in their house found out about their views, he didn't doubt that they would be annihilated within an hour. Now he had let Granger in on his half of the secret. If she told anyone…

Draco had owled Blaise the other day using a code that they had created and memorised to let him know what had happened. He was lucky, Blaise's father didn't want him to join till he had finished school and gotten a job. Draco had however left out the meeting and hanging around Hermione. He still wasn't sure that he knew what he was doing on that front, maybe it was just from the two of them being under so much stress and needing a way to vent it. Yeah, that was it.

So it was now that Draco found himself in Diagon Alley itself. They had vacated their rooms not long ago. But Hermione had insisted that before they go, she must have a copy of the potions textbook. Draco had attempted to dissuade her, but she was being a bloody prig and wouldn't budge. So Hermione had been rudely ordered to sit at the bar till he got back, and if he wasn't back in an hour, go without him.

Now he found himself at the counter of Flourish and Blots with the text under his arm, he was looking over his shoulder every few seconds, paranoid that he was being followed. Diagon Alley was almost deserted that day, during the summer it didn't get busy till the last week, and seeing as it was a Sunday, A muggle holiday they'd picked up on around here, it wasn't likely a crowd was going to show up.

Draco was in a mental turmoil. He wanted to run away and hide till school started. He felt obliged to go with Granger as he'd gotten her into danger; besides, he got on well with her. The other choice was to let her go on her way and he could find some other place to hide out till he got to school. Then, when he arrived at school, who's to say that all the Slytherins didn't know about what happened this summer?

Draco started to head back to the Leaky Cauldron, bloody bookworms he thought as he strode down the cobbled street. He heard footsteps behind him, when he turned he couldn't recognise the person, their hood was up and shadowing their face. He got paranoid and started to walk faster. The person behind him sped up as well, this confirmed his fears and he broke out into a run. He hadn't gone far, but he looked back anyway to see if the person tailing him had broken into a run as well. They had.

Then all he saw when he faced back to see where he was going was a huge meaty forearm smack into his upper body, coat hangering him and making him slam onto his back with a decent amount of force.

He was winded and was seeing stars, he tried to get up though, these were his father's favourite muscle men. He'd recognised the one behind him as he'd started running because his hood had fallen off, he knew who the other would be as the two went hand in pocket.

Next thing Draco knew was that he was being picked up by the collar at the back of the neck and then the familiar sensation of side-by-side apparition as the henchmen took him away.

They arrived in the entrance hall of the Malfoy manor. By then Draco had woken up and started to fight them, he was a strong young man and more than a match for one of them, but two? No. The last thing he remembered was a dinner plate sized fist smashing into his jaw and his eyesight exploding into a kaleidoscope of colours as he blacked out.

Hermione had been sitting at the bar for over an hour, waiting for Draco to come back. She had insisted on the book, so that they didn't have to come back here before going to school. He hadn't listened to her reasoning though and had stormed off, ordering her to stay. He had been over the time limit he set. He had told her to go to the hiding place and wait for him there. If he wasn't coming now though, he wasn't coming later.

Hermione scraped the bar stool back as she got up, she'd made a decision. She pulled out her wand as she meandered along Diagon alley. After looking in Flourish and Blots and asking the owner whether he'd been in, she decided something had gone wrong. Turning a corner she saw a scuffle going on down the way a little. She recognised the blond hair as it fell to the ground and two men catching him.

Hermione started forward, about to yell and try to help him, but they apparated away. Taking Malfoy with them. She knew it was no use trying to help him now; she had no idea where they'd gone. Hermione walked up to where they had apparated. There was an object lying on the ground, dropped by Malfoy. Picking it up she brushed the dust off, it was her potions book, and he had gotten it for her! She shrunk it and pocketed it, making a decision.

Hermione apparated, but not to her uncles house, she arrived instead behind a bush on a quiet street outside a large old-fashioned house. Checking to make sure the street was empty she walked up to the door and stated her name. It unlocked magically and she was able to walk inside. The large house was empty, it was the holidays, none of her friends would be here, and they'd all be at the burrow. Stepping into her room she looked up at the Black family crest that sat above the fireplace. She loved this house, the memories her and her friends had created inside it. Most important of all, she felt safe inside of it and that no one could find her now unless she wanted.

Draco was dragged unceremoniously into his father's study; he was dumped in front of the large desk. Draco thought of the last time he was in this room and inwardly shuddered. He quickly shuttered his face and his mind as he stared his father in the face.

"So nice for you to return, I was wondering whether you would show up to your initiation so I decided the boys could give you a hand. Just to keep your schedule you know. Seeing as you have missed your apparition appointment I have decided that it can be postponed and that we will just fix you up and take you to the initiation."

Lucius stood and started pacing the room. "There are first one or two things that we need to get straight. Firstly I will overlook this recent behaviour of yours as typically teenager and warn you that if you ever do it again I will see to it that after every strip of skin has been peeled off your back by Macnair then you'll be placed under the Imperious curse and forced to live your life as the Dark Lord's personal servant.

Secondly, I noticed that you befriended a little mudblood while you ran away. That is to stop right now and if you speak to her again outside of school business then she will be taken care of." Draco sneered at his father, giving his high and mighty lecture. As if he was going to do everything that he asked. He'd find a way to get out of it, he always had before.

Lucius saw the look on his son's face and strode over and backhanded him. "Don't think I wont do it. Besides, I know how your darling mother helped you in this little escapade, and lets just say that she will not be coming to your initiation into the clan as she is feeling a little indisposed…"

At that Draco's heart cinched. He couldn't stand anything to happen to his mother. His eyes cast themselves downward and he stopped his wriggling against the holds of the guards.

He was sent to his room, or I should say, he was led to his room with ten minutes to change and cleanup before they left. He changed into a black silk shirt and pants and a heavy black cloak with a deep hood. He gelled his hair back, the way his father had liked it before it grew long and walked out of the room. He didn't know how he was going to get out of what was to come, but he knew that it was going to hurt.

He was apparated to a dark graveyard. The tombstones were all old and mouldy, crumbling away at the edges. He was still flanked by the two muscle men of his father's; they led him to a circle of death eaters, all wearing their masks. They looked at him sightlessly, he couldn't recognise any of them through their masks. But they could recognise him. On the opposite side of the circle stood a tall thin man in robes so dark a scarlet that it looked like blood at midnight. This man however didn't wear a mask. So deep in his hood you could see his snakelike red eyes. Draco felt a shiver go down his back as the Dark Lord's eyes pierced into him like needles.

Draco was led to stand in front of the Dark Lord, he was careful to keep his mind blank, as he knew that he was an expert at occlumency. His father hissed at him to bow and show the proper respect.

"Draco Malfoy, you stand before our clan with a wish to become one of us. Your father has proved your bloodline worthy and has vouched for your willingness to serve. Tonight is the night that you become one of us. You will receive your brand, despite your failure to complete your task set by your father last year, we will set you a new task that hopefully won't be as … difficult for you" There was a collective chuckle around the circle. The Dark Lord strolled forward, his eyes never leaving Draco's, a sheen of sweat formed on his brow, he was scared out of his wits.

The Dark Lord was now centimetres away from him. His red eyes still staring, his snakelike face was contorted into a look of arrogance, as he smelt Draco's fear.

"You are scared, boy. I like that. You will learn to fear me, just like all other members in our clan. Now, give me your arm…"

**A/N: Review… when I clap my hands and you wake up, you will review…**


	5. Chapter 5: Dreams

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 5: Dreams**

**By coeurnoir**

**A/N: G'day guys! Sorry it took so long to update! I went rock climbing with uni and got stuck with that many assignments when I got back that I was swamped! I'll have you know though that rock climbing is the best sport in the world! …Oh yeah, sorry bout the cliffhanger, that was kinda evil huh… I got told off for that one…!**

The Great hall was crowded with excited students at the welcome feast. Everyone was telling everyone what he or she did in the loudest possible voice. Ron was stuffing his face with food while Harry tried to tell him about the visit to the Chudley Cannons that he won in a chocolate frog box. They both ignored Hermione who was sitting there quietly, barely touching her food.

Would life ever be the same again? She wondered. No more trips to the owlery almost every day with a letter for Connor, the boys had found new entertainments in life so she supposed the only time she would see them was when they needed help with Snape's potions essays. She looked around the Great Hall, familiarising herself with the new faces at Hogwarts this year. There weren't that many new first years. The numbers had steadily dropped since the return of Voldemort. Not many wizarding families were willing to let their kids out of their sights, let alone off to boarding school.

Hermione's eyes were caught when she saw Malfoy. He like her had barely touched his food. His expression was very guarded, merely listening to Crabbe and Goyle gasbag about something that no doubt wasn't in need of intelligence to understand. His eyes rose to meet hers, his steel grey eyes that gave away nothing of what he was thinking. She gave him a small smile, hoping that he would remember the way they seemed to get on during the holidays. She had begun to think that maybe he wasn't a bad sport after all, even though he abandoned her.

He didn't smile back. He just nodded, his expression unchanged, before looking back at the no doubt riveting conversation before him.

In what seemed like hours later, Dumbledore stood up dismissing the students and bade the prefects to escort them to their dormitories. The heads had been informed on the train where to go and what their password was. They had been told separately so Hermione still hadn't been told whom the Head Boy was, it was partly due to the fact that she holed herself up in a small cabin and didn't talk to anyone the whole trip too. It wasn't to be announced to the school who the Heads were until tomorrow so as to let them settle in a little more and learn their duties first.

Hermione dawdled to her dormitory. The door was hidden behind a portrait of an old wizard in blue robes that introduced himself as Alistair Watkins. Alistair was a famous astronomer and professor of Divination who had taught at Hogwarts hundreds of years ago.

" Good evening, I must assume that you are Miss Granger? It's a pleasure to meet you and I hope that you had a pleasant first evening back!" Granger just stared at him for a moment before remembering her manners and thanking him.

"Uh, Cobalt?" She stammered out. Alistair smiled and the portrait swung open.

The common room was beautiful. It was decorated in maroon and emerald, soft looking armchairs sitting in front of a fire. There was a kitchenette off to one side as well as another room with a table and chairs that Hermione assumed would be the study/ dining room. She wandered back into the sitting area and flopped down on the couch and sighed. Wherever the Head Boy was, she was glad he wasn't here right now; it would be great to get some peace and quiet.

But, to her luck, the portrait swung open again and in stepped the Head Boy.

Hermione looked into his grey eyes, the colour of clouds on a stormy day and sat up straighter.

"Hullo, didn't know you were going to be head boy!" Hermione greeted him, tension in her voice. She wasn't sure if he was going to even talk to her. She tensed up, expecting one of his scathing remarks that would cut her down like grass.

Malfoy looked at her expressionlessly again. She wasn't sure what was going on but it was weird. He was talking to her fine over the holidays. But then people could act differently when things were going on in their lives.

Draco looked at Hermione. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her. In his mind it screamed out that it was her fault that his father's men had caught him, but at the same time he didn't feel right blaming her. He still shuddered thinking back to that night after he was caught, the day that ruined his life forever. But Hermione's face looked so innocent, so hopeful that he would talk to her, he felt soft thinking it and cursed himself for a dumb arse but he thought that she was a nice chick really.

Draco sighed eventually and lost the stony expression, "Hi Hermione, yeah I got Head Boy. Fancy putting up with me for a year?" he noticed her shoulders relax after he started to talk to her. Hermione looked up at him, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Draco? You never came to my uncle's house. I saw those men take you." She looked a little ashamed as she admitted to him that she had followed him against his orders. Draco's expression shuttered again.

"I'm fine. I got back here okay."

Hermione stood up then. Pleading tiredness and leaving to explore her bedroom.

Draco on the other hand, sat in front of the fireplace for a while. He had barely slept since he'd been caught. He hadn't been able to sleep ever since he had seen those evil red eyes, felt the fear in his heart when he approached him.

Draco stood abruptly walking up the stairs to his room next to Hermione's. He couldn't tell her what had happened. He could tell she felt scared still about what had happened. Upon entering the room with his name on a silver plaque, he found a richly furnished room, full of emerald green. His belongings had been unpacked by the house elves, there was a little fire burning in a small fireplace and a door that lead off the side of his room appeared to head into a bathroom. He supposed that the door on the other side led into Hermione's room. He didn't mind sharing it; he didn't think she'd be the kind to hog it all morning.

He flopped down on the bed, cringing as he stretched his almost healed scars on his back that were mingled with fresh ones, compliments of Lucius Malfoy. As he sat there contemplating his position in life he supposed he could be glad for one thing, his father had called off the marriage to Pansy, most probably because Draco had told his father that he would kill himself before going through one day married to that whore. He could feel a twinge of a burning sensation in his forearm, but when it didn't get worse he ignored it, he was good at ignoring pain. Almost too good.

Draco relaxed for the first time since Diagon Alley, knowing that his father couldn't get to him here. He closed his eyes and welcomed sleep with open arms.

Screams woke Draco in the night, a girl was calling out a name, he didn't know what. He ran out of his room and into Hermione's, finding her thrashing around on the bed. There were tears in her eyes and she was calling out a name. He remembered that name, she had told him about her brother at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hermione!" He called put to her as she thrashed in her sleep. He shook her shoulder, she still wouldn't wake up, she was too deep in the dream. If she didn't stop thrashing though she was going to hurt herself, or him!

He jumped on the bed and pinned her down, yelling her name loud. Her thrashing stopped suddenly and she woke with a start.

It was dark, Hermione woke with a start and didn't know what was going on but there was someone pinning her down, and it was a guy. Without thinking she brought her knee up, hard. The figure grunted in pain and rolled off her onto the floor. He rolled into a patch of moonlight and she saw who it was.

"Draco! What in Merlin's name are you doing in my room? And even more, what were you doing on top of me!" She had her wand pointed at him, her voice shaking with shock.

"You were having a bad dream!" he managed to grunt out, "I couldn't wake you up, so I had to stop you thrashing around before you hurt yourself!"

Hermione was shocked. The details of her dream came back to her like an avalanche, her brother had been there, then he had died, and it was her fault.

She rushed over and pulled Draco onto the bed, apologising profusely. Draco shushed her. "Are you okay? You sounded pretty stressed out in your dream there; I couldn't even wake you up! Do you get them often?" Hermione drew her knees to her chin, sitting on the bed. Draco took a seat next to her, gingerly putting an arm around her.

"Almost every night. The only time I haven't is when we were in Diagon Alley. I keep dreaming about Connor, like there was someway I could've stopped it. If I'd been there, or if he'd not gone, or- " Draco put his hand over her mouth. "There was nothing that you could've done. It wasn't your fault. And I bet if he heard you talking like that he would never let you hear the end of it." he held her tight as her lips trembled. "Now how about you try and get some sleep? You look like you could use some." It was true; she looked like she'd lost a lot of weight, besides the bags under her eyes gave evidence enough that she hadn't been sleeping. He couldn't believe golden boy and weasel hadn't picked up on it.

Her eyes looked like a frightened rabbits at the idea of going back to sleep. So Draco lay down next to her and held her, she snuggled down under the blankets while Draco lay a couple of layers up under one of the top blankets, conscious of the fact that he was only in his boxers and her in a pair of short shorts and singlet. They lay there, Draco quickly going back to sleep, careful though not to think about the girl that lay next to him that much.

It took Hermione a little over half an hour to get back to sleep, but the feeling of Draco next to her helped, knowing that she wasn't alone, and it wasn't her fault.

**A/N: okay guys! What did you think? C'mon with those reviews:P**


	6. Chapter 6: Seeing Pink

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 6: Seeing Pink**

**By coeurnoir**

* * *

****

Hermione work the next morning still feeling tired. She had slept fitfully for the rest of the night, thankfully without dreams. The bed beside her was empty. She lay there remembering the night before.

It confused her how Draco acted so sensitive yet seemed embarrassed about it. Was that just a guy thing? Then before, when he had acted different until she spoke to him. It was almost he sat there making a decision to talk to her or not, an intense internal debate.

Looking over at the clock, she realised that if she didn't get up now, she wouldn't have time for a shower before breakfast.

Hermione discovered that the bathroom was beautiful. The marble tiled shower was huge and hot; the pressurised water massaged her back, leaving it relaxed.

Hermione never waned to get out, but remembering that she had to get breakfast and wasn't the only person who used the bathroom.

She stepped out of the shower; it was more like a little room, with a little bench in it, perfect to sit on while she shaved her legs. Steam swirled around her like an angel rising out of the steam and she wrapped herself into a fluffy towel as she brushed her hair dry with her wand.

No sooner had she stepped into her uniform, did Draco slouch into the bathroom without knocking. His clothes were muddy, so she assumed that he had been at quidditch practice.

"Morning Draco, thankyou so much for knocking!" he made a face at her and walked into the shower room, pulling off his shirt. She saw his perfectly chiselled abs and blushed. Once in the shower room, more clothes started flying out and Hermione ran out her eyes wide with embarrassment.

Draco had gotten up at the crack of dawn for quidditch practice and had gotten out of the bed quietly so as not to awaken Hermione, whom he knew was barely asleep. Slytherin's quidditch team had organised practice to start as early as possible, eager to win the house cup this year. It was a well-known fact among the Slytherins that Draco wasn't a morning person, not until after his shower anyway. So practice this morning was quiet, no one wanting to annoy him. Hermione was going to be quick to learn the fact.

Draco washed the mud out of his hair; slowly massaging his scalp before letting the hot jets of water rinse it out as the water woke him up. As he showered, he thought about the night before, cringing when he remembered how not to wake her up. He remembered the name that she had been screaming out. Connor. Her brother. She must have been having a rotten dream, he pitied her, and empathised as his sleep was commonly plagued with nightmares, many of which he didn't want to know about.

He remembered her scared look when she'd woken up, the tears that had been streaming down her cheeks. Her rugby top had fallen down off one shoulder, showing her collarbone in her pearly white skin. Her boxer shorts had ridden up when she kneed him, showing her small shapely legs… she had looked at him, pleading with her large, innocent eyes to stay with her.

Draco turned the water cold, snapping himself out of it. Why did she make him think of her so? She was an enchantress who was unawares of the spell she wove.

Frustrated, Draco turned the water off; he didn't want to be late for potions. It didn't matter how much Snape liked him, Godson or no, he would take points of him if he were late.

Draco slipped in the door just as the charmed bell pealed throughout the school, earning himself a glare from professor Snape. He glanced over to where the group of Griffindors sat together to see Hermione in her usual spot next to Harry and Ron. She looked tired and withdrawn. That was obvious to Draco, why not to two people who not only claim to be best friends, but also have known her for six years?

Today, Snape had decided to lecture them on their NEWTS and how potions was going to be extremely difficult and that he didn't have time to molly coddle ignoramuses who hadn't the foggiest clue what the difference between a cauldron and a quill.

Hermione only half listened to his lectures. She was daydreaming, uninterested in class for the first time in her life. She doodled on her piece of scrap parchment, flowers and stars making a border on her page.

Harry looked over and noticed that she hadn't written down any notes, (like Ron, he was in the habit of copying her class notes,) and thought that wasn't like Hermione at all. He actually noticed that she didn't look her normal attentive self.

"Are you okay today Hermione? You haven't even started taking notes, that's not like you!"

Hermione's eyes searched his face, trying to figure out if he was for real. Oh Merlin, he was. Hermione didn't even grace him with an answer, just rolled her eyes and started to take down her notes for the boil removal potion.

Snape kept up with his old habits, checking over students' shoulders. He made Neville so nervous that he burnt his arm on the fire under his cauldron, almost knocking over his ingredients.

"Longbottom, I don't want to sound like a broken record but it doesn't look like you're going to scrape by potions this year, maybe you should quit while you can. And while we still have our lives." The good old drawl was back again.

Rather than go and help him, which would have been her usual habit, Hermione kept her head down and continued with her and Ron's potion. So disinterested was she that she didn't notice Ron chuck in a whole cup of bobotuber pus at the wrong time.

Screams erupted all over the classroom as the potion exploded. It sprayed everyone in the vicinity. Luckily it missed Hermione as she'd been picking up the spoon that she'd dropped on the ground at the time. But Ron managed to receive a face full of it and his face had erupted into a bouquet of electric pink boils.

Students were yelling and screaming everywhere, wiping potion off their skins, people yelling in pain as pink boils erupted where the potion touched them.

"SILENCE!!!" Snape's amplified voice rang out, freezing everybody in his or her tracks. There was pure venom in his voice as he continued on silkily quiet.

"Those who have potion on them are to report immediately to the Hospital Wing. Everybody else is to put on their dragon hide gloves and clean this mess up. Granger, 50 points from Griffindor for trying to disturb the class on purpose."

Harry and Ron fully expected Hermione to answer back and argue the unjust docking of points, but all that she did was look down, red faced and continue to clean up the mess.

Ron left for the Hospital Wing, along with a few others. Everybody else resigned himself or herself to cleaning.

Harry bent over next to her so that he could talk to her quietly. "That was Ron that screwed up the potion wasn't it? I know you wouldn't muck up a potion like that would you? What's wrong?"

Hermione looked up at him, shocked. "Something wrong? You want to know if something is wrong? Well if you can't figure it out now, you never will!" with that said, she stalked out of the classroom, just as the bell went, leaving Harry with a mouth like a goldfish.

* * *

Hermione continued to ignore the boys throughout Transfiguration that morning (Ron turned up half way through, minus the pink boils). At lunch they ignored her, other than to shoot a confused look at her every now and then. Hermione sat with the other Griffindor seventh year girls. It was at this lunch that the Head Boy and Girl were announced also. Hermione put on a good face for the couple of seconds that people looked at her and Draco.

Hermione left lunch early in order to pick up a book from the library. Unfortunately, Harry and Ron saw her and followed. Now that it had become blatantly obvious that there was something wrong with her, they wanted to know what.

Hermione walked into the corridor that led to the library. Hearing a shout behind her, she turned to see Harry and Ron catch up with her.

"Hermione, we wanted to know what's going on, now. You're ignoring us and you look upset. What's up? Did Malfoy do something to you? If he did, we'll bash him for you!" Harry's emerald eyes turned fierce. Ron didn't say anything, just cracked his knuckles with an expression on his face oddly similar to that of Crabbe and Goyle.

"No, he didn't do anything. Besides, what do you care? You two haven't bothered to give a shit what happened to me at all since the… since Connor…" She choked back a sob and turned to walk away. She couldn't believe the audacity the two of them had to giver her this after they had left her alone for so many months, going crazy in her depression. She started walking away. She instead found herself being swung back around by a tight grip on her upper arm.

She uttered a faint cry of fright and pain.

"What is wrong with you Hermione? We come to see if you're okay and you swear at us?" Ron's face was purple this time, not pink, but she thought it best not to point it out. Hermione shrunk back, frightened by the expression on her face and the grip on her arm. The two boys had never been the same since all the publicity they got from all the Voldemort escapades, their heads had grown big and they got used to acting as if everybody was beneath them. Hermione didn't notice the quick footsteps approach until they arrived.

"Weasel, Potty, I trust you have a good reason for assaulting the Head Girl before I give you a detention?" Draco stood there, an imposing figure with his arms crossed.

Harry had the sense to stay quiet, Ron didn't.

"Piss off you Ferret. Go shove your head up your arse." Ron yelled, advancing on Malfoy, he had let go of Hermione much to her relief. Draco merely raised an eyebrow, sceptical. This lack of reaction angered Ron, who was used to other students running away when he got angry. He went to punch Draco, only to be pulled back by Harry and back down the corridor, yelling abuse the whole way.

"Detention on Wednesday you two!" Draco called down the hallway after them.

* * *

He was shocked by the behaviour he had just seen. He knew the two of them had gotten big heads, but he didn't realise they had gotten that bad. He looked back at Hermione now, remembering her presence.

She was leaning against the wall, pale faced, her eyes closed and her hands shaking as they smoothed down her cloak. Draco moved towards her and went to put his hand on her shoulder. After first shrinking away, she let him touch her and then enfold her into a comforting embrace.

She looked up at him, her eyes were sadder than a lost puppy's. She clung to him and started sobbing.

Moving them into an empty classroom nearby, he held her and rocked her. He crooned nonsense in order to help her calm down. When her sobs turned into hiccups, which turned into soft breathing he pulled away a little and looked at her.

"It's almost time for arithmancy, we should go." She frowned and burrowed back against his chest. His breath caught. "You want to stay here? Ok then, though, I'm not sure what the students will think when I have to carry you into arithmancy." That did it. She sat up quickly and scowled at Draco.

Chuckling, he followed her out of the classroom.

* * *

**A/N: what did you think? I was trying to develop the relationship more, still a friendship though. As you can tell I'm not a big fan of Harry and Ron. I have depicted them as having turned into not very nice, self-centred people who use Hermione as a study aid rather than a friend. Sorry if a couple of things in this chapter aren't 100 explained. I pumped it out a little fast…**

**Luv you all and I luv all of your reviews, you know I could always love more…!**


	7. Chapter 7: Night time Visitors

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 7: Night Time Visitors**

**By coeurnoir**

* * *

Draco couldn't find Hermione that night to do their rounds so decided to do them on his own. As he checked the classrooms on the third floor he heard music coming from one. Thinking that it was a student out of bed he crept up to the door to see who it was. He didn't expect who he found.

There was a petite girl in a long black leotard with a translucent black wrap. She was pirouetting across the classroom floor. As she finished the pirouette, Draco saw her face. It was Hermione. Unfortunately his gasp of surprise was loud enough to be heard and Hermione yelped in surprise.

"Who is it?" She cried, grabbing her robe and pulling it on over her trim figure. Draco pushed off the doorframe walking into the room.

"You looked beautiful Hermione. I never knew you danced. I always wondered how you kept so fit though." Hermione relaxed when she heard Draco's voice. She walked over to him and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Oh I'm sorry Draco, I missed rounds! I was just upset; I always dance when I'm upset. I'll come now and finish with you if you'd like."

Draco chuckled, "you haven't cooled down yet 'Mione." She smiled at his use of her nickname.

"The walk will cool me down, just give me two minutes to stretch out," and with a wave of her wand she stopped the music and started to stretch. Draco watched, entranced by her gracefulness.

They were soon walking through the dungeons, it was a quiet night, and they had only caught a pair of Slytherins on a late night love tryst. Hermione chuckled as Draco tried to let them off without even taking points.

"What about the Griffindors you found earlier and took ten points each from. I didn't see me trying to let them off easy did you?" she gave him a playful push as she laughed at the hurt look on his face.

Draco stumbled as he caught back up with her; he grabbed her elbow gently and brought her around to face him. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him, a slightly confused look on her face. "It's great to see you laughing again. I don't like it when you're depressed."

"How sweet, Draco's being sensitive!" she teased him. She became quiet when she saw the intense look on his face. He leant down and pressed his lips against hers. She melted into the kiss as he deepened it. Hermione pulled back with a smile.

"We're supposed to be doing rounds Draco, hunting out people, not being one of them! Let's finish up with the fourth floor and then go back." Draco pouted, but nodded. It made sense.

* * *

The next day was Saturday so Hermione slept in, skipping breakfast and jumping into the shower as soon as she got up. She considered studying but decided against it as she was having a hard time keeping her mind off Draco. The kiss had left her feeling warm and fuzzy but she wasn't sure what it meant. You could safely say that she didn't have much experience with boys. The only ones she had hung around being Harry and Ron. Thinking of them made her cringe, knowing that she had lost a part of her life losing the boys.

Draco was about to walk into the bathroom when Hermione opened the door, walking out in a fluffy red bathrobe. "I'm kinda glad I didn't just walk in! I would've been hurt severely!" Hermione laughed. "Too true, young man, too true!" laughing she went to her room.

Draco woke up from his shower and went and knocked on Hermione's door. "Knock-knock!" Hermione came and opened up the door, smiling at him. They went down ti the common room and started chatting. Since they had first met, they had gotten to know each other much better. But both of them didn't seem to want to breach the topic of the night before.

Hermione was frustrated about it though; she was a very straightforward person who didn't like to be confused about things. They were halfway through a conversation about their latest arithmancy assignment when Hermione just came out with it.

"What was last night?" Draco looked up surprised from her sudden change of topic. His mouth gold fished for a second or two before he answered her.

"Which part of last night? Me finding your little dancing hideaway or something else?" he asked this with a cheeky grin, having regained his composure.

"Stop being a prat Draco! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now answer me." Hermione looked frustrated now. Draco leaned over with the cheeky smile still on his face. He kissed her with more passion than the night before.

"Does that answer your question?" Hermione shook her head. He kissed her again, drawing her onto his lap so that she was straddling him.

"How about now?" he demanded.

"Nuh-uh" she mumbled. Draco kept kissing her.

"Go out with me then." Hermione sat back with a fake look of deep thought.

"I don't know about that one, you are a Slytherin after all." Draco growled and tickled her. "Okay! Okay!" she giggled. She kissed him quickly before hopping off his lap.

"Where are you going?" Draco grabbed at her hand gently.

"I want to go for a dance before lunch, I didn't get the full practice in last night. I'll see you after." She rushed of to her room to change. When she came back down Draco asked if he could come along and watch, once her permission was given they left for the unused classroom that MacGonnagal let her use.

Draco stayed quiet during her warm-up and throughout the series of routines that she did to keep her skill up. Only when it looked like she was finished did he speak.

"Can you dance any other styles? Or just Ballet." She scoffed at him.

"Mr Malfoy, I have been dancing since I could walk. I am able to dance however you would like me to dance." She twirled, making her wrap flutter around her.

Draco stood and walked over to her. He held her hand as the other snaked around her waist and pulled her tight to him.

"The question is, Miss Granger, can you salsa?" when she nodded with a grin, he flicked his wand and the music changed. They started moving to the music. Draco was good, really good, but she kept up every step of the way.

As the music finished they stood there, holding each other and the both of them out of breath.

* * *

Draco woke to the sound of someone tripping over furniture. Someone muttered a curse; it was a man's voice. That was definitely not Hermione. He jumped out of bed, not caring that he was only in his boxers and ran into the common room. There were three men in the common room; they were all wearing death eater's robes.

When they saw Draco they jumped him immediately and performed the incarcerous charm, leaving him bound on the floor. He heard a muffled shriek from the direction of Hermione's room. The cloaked men swore and ran in the direction of her room.

Please let her have hidden or have her wand at hand. After a series of loud thumps and then they brought out an unconscious Hermione.

One of the men started fumbling in his robes for something and ended up bringing out an old cap. The other two grabbed hold of Hermione and Draco's hands and held them on the cap. A spell was said and next thing that they knew they were being picked up and whirled around to land in an unceremonious heap.

They were on their own in a stone walled room. The ropes that had been around him and Hermione were gone. She was still unconscious though. The death eaters mustn't have come on the port key Draco thought. That begs the next question, how in Merlin's name did they get a port key to work in Hogwarts grounds?

Crawling over to Hermione, he brought her head into his lap; leaning against the wall he waited for her to wake up, and for their captors to introduce themselves. Though Draco didn't think he needed too many guesses to figure out who it was.


	8. Chapter 8: Choices

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 8: Choices**

**By coeurnoir**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: i know that this one is short but i'm still working on the storyline further on from this part of the story. sorry about the cliffhangers but theu just happen to be where my train of thought ends and starts planning the next chapter... **

**Please enjoy and please review!!!**

Draco leant against the wall with Hermione's head in his lap. He gently stroked her hair from over her still face. She moaned softly and stirred. Draco froze and watched her face intently.

"Hermione? Wake up, please! C'mon," his voice was full of stress. He sighed in relief as her eyes fluttered open. She looked at him in confusion.

"Draco? What happened?" She tried to sit up but Draco motioned for her to stay lying down. "I don't recognise this part of Hogwarts." She was starting to look distressed.

"Hermione, we aren't at Hogwarts anymore. Somehow they made a port key work and take us somewhere else." Hermione looked frustrated at that one.

"How many times must I tell people, you can't do that, it says so in _Hogwarts – A History_! No transportation spells work on school grounds." Draco surprised the both of them when he chuckled.

"Books aren't always right, these people are experts at finding loopholes."

Hermione, feeling better sat up. Turning, she looked him in the eye.

"Which people Draco? Where in Merlin's name are we?" Draco looked her back straight in the eye.

"Remember how my father's guys caught me in Diagon Alley? Well, I didn't get away that time. They- ." He stopped short and looked away. Hermione lifted his chin with cool fingers. "What happened Drake?" without knowing she used his mother's nickname for him.

"They forced me to be one of-," he forced it out through clenched jaws. "They forced me to be one of them!" He looked at his forearm. Hermione saw the direction of his gaze and used her small hands to push up his sleeve. There, in dark ink was the mark. A grinning skull with the snake curling out, looking like a pox mark on his soft, pale skin. She let out a small gasp, her eyes filling. Draco pulled his arm away. In a hollow voice he continued.

"My father had me under the imperius curse. I tried to stop the words coming out of my mouth but he was too strong, he must have had someone else helping him with the spell. They locked me up afterwards, but they put me in my own room. The house plans were lost so long ago that only I know about the passageway that leads out of it. I escaped; I went back to Hogwarts early. I told Dumbledore that my parents had to go on a business trip so they asked me to come back early." Hermione had noticed that he was rambling she thought that he mustn't be mentioning everything. They must have been awful to him for him to be this out of it, she thought.

She pulled him towards her and just held him in a tight embrace as he stopped talking. They stayed like that for ages, until the door of the room they were in opened and a tall, slightly built man with long white blonde hair walked in.

"Draconis, I do hope you're cold." His smooth voice held venom in its words. Draco's father strolled into the room, sneering at his son and Hermione. Draco didn't let go of her.

"What do you want Lucius?" Draco spat. He was sick of the games, sick of the sick bastard that called himself a father. He wanted out, but how was he going to do that without Hermione getting hurt?

"Draconis, I wondered if we could have a private… chat? Please accompany me to my study, I'm quite sure that you know the way there by now?" Lucius gestured toward the doorway. Draco didn't move, tightening his hold on Hermione. Seeing this Lucius chuckled evilly. "Don't worry about your little mud blooded whore my boy. She'll be in one piece when you get back."

Draco looked down at Hermione, she bit her lip as she nodded and whispered that she'd be okay. He looked up at his father, "if one hair on her head is harmed, I'll kill you Lucius. She had better be okay when I get back to her."

"Don't worry, if you're good, she'll be returned to you in mint condition." His upper lip curled as he looked down at Hermione distastefully.

* * *

Draco stood up tall; smirking at the fact that he had grown taller than his father and as usual reminded him of that fact as he walked past him. In his fathers office he sat down before his father could even walk to his side of the desk. Lucius scowled at this breach of etiquette. He adjusted his emerald, silk robes as he sat. Watching Draco with an evil glare.

"I set your future for you Draconis. I make certain that you will never be found wanting. I arrange a perfect marriage into another high-ranking _pureblood _family, and this is how you repay me? By running off, making me force you to take the future that we fought so hard to give you? By running around with that mud-blooded animal they call a witch at that school? I knew I should have sent you to Durmstrang! At least Karkharroff knew how to control his students."

Draco said nothing. He simply looked into his father's icy grey eyes with contempt. Lucius stood and walked around the desk and walked to the bookshelf, running his fingers along the volumes there. When he reached a large blood red volume he paused and looked back at his son. Draco knew that look in his eyes. His face was completely passive. Most people would take that as a good thing. Draco didn't, when his father showed no expression he was at his most livid.

"You have only one chance Draconis. You choose here and now if you would like to return and become my son again. Your past… mistakes can be overlooked as teenage rebelling. You will sever ties with that whore in the dungeon and take your place in the ranks of the death eaters and honour your mark." His face was still expressionless, he watched Draco carefully waiting for his answer.

What was his father playing at? He knew that Draco didn't want anything to do with it? So why was he offering a chance for him to redeem himself. But then what would happen to Hermione if he did? He would get out of this the easy way but Hermione would probably be done away with. Looking up at his father he summed it up in one word, putting all his feeling into it.

"No."

Pulling his wand out of his robes Lucius went to cast a curse at Draco. Draco, knowing that they'd taken his wand from him at Hogwarts jumped up and dodged the curse. The door flew open and his father's two favourite crones charged in and they were all going at Draco until they finally had him on the ground, panting and not without their own collection of bruises.

Footsteps near his head made him look up at his father's sneering face. "Looks like you need some more persuading Draconis." His wand pointed at Draco and he knew nothing.


	9. Chapter 9:Deafening Silence

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 9: Deafening Silence**

**By coeurnoir**

**A/N: Hope you enjoy guys! Each time I put a line in it means that it's changing scene/perception of the story.**

* * *

Hermione had been on her own for hours. The silence in the cell was deafening. It wasn't your typical fairy tale cell full of rats and filth. Rather it was far too clean, there wasn't any vermin in sight and there were no bars or even cracks in the doors. She'd felt every inch of every wall trying to feel a single tiny weakness.

Unlike many other witches, and despite being a muggle born, Hermione had natural magic. This means that she was able to sense magic without her wand and had started studying wandless magic with Dumbledore after class. The problem was that she'd only been studying it for a couple of weeks so she could only perform simple spells.

She used her natural senses to feel the magical barriers on the cell.

There were silencing charms, hence the silence that was sending her insane, anti-unlocking charms on the door and charms on the walls that prevented any type of erosion or breaking down of the walls.

She was screwed in other words.

After her extensive search she resigned herself to at least being stuck in the cell until something in her circumstances changed. Curling up in the corner she tried to get

some sleep.

* * *

Draco woke to find himself tied to a very familiar pole, his hands were above his head and he couldn't feel them. He guessed that meant he'd been unconscious for a while. He winced as he moved, the pain in his back a reminder of what happened before he passed out. He wasn't surprised that his father had laid into him worse than ever before. That was probably why he was still hanging here.

He heard movement behind him. A man came up and loosened his hands. Not bothering to catch Draco, he fell to the ground with no small force, which caused him to cry out in pain. The man chuckled evilly before walking out and shutting the door behind him. The room went black again.

* * *

The cell door opened and a man walked in. it wasn't a death eater that she recognised.

Without a word he hauled her upright by her wrist and dragged her out the door. She

questioned him relentlessly but he wouldn't answer her. Instead he brought her to another room on the dungeon level. This room didn't contain anything more than a table with a chair on either side.

Hermione was pushed into one of the chairs. It was an uncomfortable chair that made her sit upright. A light flashed and she found that chains were winding around her torso, arms and legs. She found that she couldn't move a muscle apart from her head. She growled in frustration as the man left her in the room on her own to struggle against chains that there was no hope of escaping from.

The door opened again and her favourite person walked in, Lucius Malfoy. He looked tousled and his collar was sticking up at one corner. That was odd seeing as from what she had seen of this man he was a meticulous dresser. At a closer inspection she was worried to see flecks of dark red on his shirt. It was blood, and Hermione retched to think of who's it was.

* * *

Draco woke up in his chambers in the Malfoy mansion. Looking through the window of the room he calculated that it would be around midafternoon. He'd been there for awhile. They would have figured out he and Hermione were missing by now. He just hoped they would be able to figure out what happened.

The room was just as he had left it, his belongings scattered over the surfaces. He tried to sit up and fell down again in agony, his back was plastered to the bed with dried blood. He couldn't get up without breaking open all the wounds on his back. He lay back and sighed. He would just have to wait and see if someone would take it off. Otherwise… he'd have to rip himself off it.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts… 

Dumbledore paced his office. He had received a message from professor MacGonnagal that morning informing him that both the head students had been absent from advanced transfiguration that morning.

Dumbledore had gone straight to their dorm with her to search for them. What they had found wasn't exactly what they had expected. They found the place in a shambles. Hermione's wand was on the floor snapped in half, her dressing gown was on the floor where she had tried to put it on when she heard noises. In Draco's room nothing was touched, but the common room showed where he had put up a struggle.

Dumbledore almost ran to his office where he sent off a series of messages through his fireplace. He then left for 12 Grimmauld place with McGonnagal through the fireplace.

When they arrived the meeting room was close to full. Dumbledore called them to order before telling the assembled members the circumstances.

"Where on earth can they be?" cried Tonks, "there isn't anyone after them is there?"

"Not after Granger there isn't" an oily voice from the back of the room mentioned quietly. A hooded figure that had arrived late pulled back his hood to show Severus Snape. "I just came from a meeting. Malfoy sent some of the deatheaters after Malfoy, turns out they wanted to send along Granger too. Seems they were seen together in the holidays. They think she knows information about the order."

Lupin swore. "Where have they got them? Is it Voldemort that is holding them?"

He got up and started pacing the room. Snape smirked.

"No, Lucius has them at the moment. Voldemort is yet to gain an interest in the girl. If my information is correct then Granger is being held in the cells at the bottom floor of the Malfoy mansion and Draco is being held in his chambers."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Now, my friends, the question is, how are we going to get the students back?" there was instantly a cacophony of sound as everyone put forward their opinions.

* * *

Lucius had been questioning Hermione for ages, and he wasn't getting anything useful. He had dosed her with veritaserum and it should've kicked in ages ago. But no matter what he asked her about the Order of the Phoenix, she said she couldn't remember or kept telling him that it was a book written by the owner of Zonko's.

Lucius got so frustrated, he had asked her other questions to make sure that the veritaserum was working and it had worked fine, that old man had most probably spelled the girl so that she couldn't talk about the order. Well, it may stop him from getting to the information – but she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him when he gave her to the dark lord.

He looked at the girl. She was still under the effects of the serum and was severely fatigued. Her head was drooping onto her chest and her face was pale and drawn. Lucius sighed, he wasn't going to get anything more out of her. He stood and walked to the door, to the death eater outside the door he gave orders to return the girl to the cell.

The death eater came in and picked her up once the chains had been spelled back, he slung her over his shoulder and turned to walk out.

Without really knowing why, Lucius changed his mind about something.

"Put her in with the boy."

* * *

Hermione woke up on the floor of a place that was most certainly not the cell she had become acquainted with. There was a large bed next to her, and the sunset streaming in through the window. She pushed up onto her hands and knees to get a better look.

She heard a groan coming from the bed and froze, looking over she could see a tuft of blonde hair and a bare chest. She wobbled on her feet as she tottered over to the bed. She landed on the bed with a bit of a thump and shook Draco's chest gently.

She jumped back at his cry of pain. His eyes flew open and he clamped his jaws shut on his cry. When his back stopped screaming he lay still on the bed.

" 'Mione? What are you doing in here? I thought they would keep you downstairs. Are you okay? I was so worried."

Hermione gave a wan smile. "Am I okay? I think I should be asking you that question. What happened?" Draco grimaced, "this? This is pretty normal. I just usually have my wand to clean it up." Hermione used gentle fingers to get him to roll over a little. Laying her hands on his back, she whispered a gentle cleaning spell. This cleaned away the blood so that she could get him onto his side. From there she whispered a weak healing charm. She sighed, the effort had given her a headache.

Amazed Draco sat up and looked at her, his mouth agape. "How did you do that? You don't have a wand, you –" he shook his head and stared at her.

Hermione smiled, "I can do simple wandless magic, Dumbledore started privately tutoring me this year. I can't fully heal your back though, that would be too hard a spell."

Draco pulled her into an embrace, "it doesn't matter, I'm so thankful that you did that for me." He pulled back and searched her brown eyes with his grey ones. Then pulled her back towards him and kissed her hard. "Hermione, I am so sorry I got you into this. No matter what happens I will do whatever I can to protect you."

Hermione curled into his embrace and said nothing. She was just glad the deafening silence of the cell was broken.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this one took me a while. I tried, I truly did! Please review I need the reviews to keep me happy enough to write!!!**


	10. Chapter 10: Tainted

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 10: Tainted**

**By coeurnoir**

* * *

The meeting had been going on for hours and was getting nowhere. The students had been missing for a day now, it was almost midnight and the teachers needed to get back to the school soon. The members were getting progressively more argumentative and it was giving Dumbledore a headache. He sighed and rubbed his aching temples before calling for silence. The chatter slowly died down, not everybody having heard his quiet command.

The present members had spent hours that evening debating every possible aspect of the heads' disappearance including Mundungus' suggestion that they had obviously eloped with each other and had messed up the rooms in their excitement. To which Dumbledore asked which 17 year old in their right mind would leave their wand at school?

"The students have been missing since either last night or early this morning. We have precious little time to get them back. We have definite intelligence that they are being held at the Malfoy Manor, we have also received intelligence that Voldemort plans on interrogating the two about matters concerning this order. While Lucius couldn't break the mind blocks I have placed around Hermione's mind, I somehow doubt that Voldemort will have that same trouble."

Gasps were heard around the chamber, along with murmurs of confusion. Why would Lucius Malfoy hold his son hostage, and to question him about the order?

"For those of us that don't know, Draco was forced into receiving his dark mark not long ago. Just before school started in fact and he has rejected it, much to his father's disgust. Unfortunately the death eaters know so we cannot use him as a double agent. It is my plan to offer him protection after he has been recovered.

Voldemort has been invited to question the students at the manor tomorrow, hence the shortness of time. My plan is to get them out before he arrives. Severus?"

As usual, Severus appeared out of the shadows of the room and came forward to address the assembled members. He had provided Dumbledore with the information after attending a meeting that evening at Voldemort's headquarters.

"The students are being held on the second floor of the building in the east wing, Draco's chambers. They are strongly spelled so that no one may enter or exit without first knowing the password. Unfortunately only Lucius and one of his death eaters know this piece of information so we'll need a couple of minutes to bust through it.

Since Voldemort's interest in the two, there has been a rise in the security of the grounds with extra death eaters stationed throughout the property.

Snape took a couple of steps backward to the wall at the front of the room. A couple of seconds later and it was transfigured into a chalkboard covered with a map of the Malfoy grounds. Another wave of his wand and coloured dots appeared marking the positions of death eaters. Another wave and the location of Hermione and Draco appeared. Snape spent the next fifteen minutes describing the plan and how they were going to execute it. As he spoke, heads around the table started to nod and people muttered their agreement.

Again Dumbledore stood, thanking Snape and once again addressing the assembled members. "Are we all in agreeance?" he didn't continue talking until he was sure no one had a problem. "That's settled then. We muster at dawn here, ready to move by eight am sharp to our specified locations." He thanked them and dismissed them before turning to MacGonagall and Snape.

"Until then, I believe we have a school to run don't we?"

They left the headquarters and went to the apparating spot, which was just emptying of the other members. A series of three pops and the professors found themselves outside the gate to the school.

* * *

It was dark in Draco's chambers. There wasn't any movement either; they were still curled up holding each other as they had been for hours since Hermione arrived. A loud bang made them start awake and sit up. The lights in the chamber had been lit and they could see the door shutting leaving them alone again.

Looking around they saw a tray with a couple of plates of food. They jumped up and grabbed it. They hadn't eaten since the night before and were ravenous. It was Irish stew and a couple of heels of bread. The stew was stone cold, a couple of words from Hermione though and it was almost too hot, the bread also made toasty. Draco smiled his thanks and they dug in.

Not quite satisfied, but better off than before they lay back on the bed. Draco mindlessly played with Hermione's hair, her head in his lap as he leant against the headboard. She had fallen asleep again, it seemed that the veritaserum his father had given her didn't agree with her at all. Gently moving her head onto the bed he crept off the bed and over to his wardrobe. When he was younger he used to use a hidden passage in there so he could sneak out and see his mates at nearby estates on his broom.

It was this passage he searched for now, he hadn't used it in over a year, he didn't know if his father had found it or not. He knelt down in front of the rug in the wardrobe, (it was a very large wardrobe) and peeled it back. He found the ring that pulled up the trap door and grabbed it in excitement.

Only to be thrown back as if struck by that muggle invention electricity. Hitting the wall hard he just sat there in shock for a couple of seconds. Regaining his senses he quickly covered the trapdoor, the guards might have heard the explosion. Hermione had, she sat on the bed looking at him in confusion, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she tried to figure out what he was doing. He stumbled to his feet and towards the window. If he were near the window the guard wouldn't suspect the passageway.

A guard did come in. He stalked over to Draco and picked him up by the collar.

"What do you think you're doing? Going for a little stroll out the window? I don't think so mate, you aren't going nowhere until the Dark Lord has finished with you two. That is, if you can go anywhere by the time that he's finished with you." The death eater dropped him and looked over at Hermione, still on the bed, uncertain of what was going on. The death eater was still angry and wanting to vent.

"What are you looking at you fucking mud blood? Or do you want me to speak slower so you understand?" Hermione still felt drowsy and didn't reply. She just looked at him wondering what on earth his problem was. This just made him angrier, he stalked up to her and grabbed her arms shaking her hard. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you stupid or something?" By now Draco had gotten up, recovering from his shaking and tried to get the man's hands off Hermione. It didn't work; he smashed an elbow into Draco's face, knocking him unconscious. He slumped to the ground.

Hermione, having woken up a bit and started to slide backwards from the death eater, fear etched all over her face. He noticed this of course and came towards her, leering sickeningly. "What's wrong mud blood? Scared I'll do something to you while your boyfriend can't help you? Now why would I do something like that?" He grabbed her wrists. His arms were so strong, she whimpered as he squeezed her delicate wrists. She tried to kick him, using all the things that her martial arts teacher had taught her. But eventually she knew it was useless, he had her in an unbreakable grip.

The death eater pinned her to the bed, he was breathing heavily, smirking at her as she tried to squirm out from under him. Holding her wrists with one dustbin lid hand he used the other to grope inside her shirt, kneading painfully on her breast. She could smell his foul breath as his face got closer to hers. He tried to kiss her mouth but she turned her head aside and got a mouth full of hair. He growled in frustration and slapped her across the face. Whimpering, Hermione stayed still as he started to put his hand down her cotton boxer shorts, fondling her. She felt disgusting. He came down to kiss her again. This time she didn't move. Forcing her mouth open he shoved his tongue in. Hermione snapped out of her petrified state for a moment.

That was enough for Hermione; she clamped her mouth shut, biting down on his tongue. She gagged, as she tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. But it worked; he jumped off her and backed away, swearing his mouth off with a lisp. Any other situation and Hermione might have found it funny. Shooting one final glare at her the death eater half ran from the room, probably to get his tongue fixed.

Hermione however ran to the toilet and threw up the tiny meal that they had just eaten; she kept retching even after there was nothing left. She still felt disgusting, as though she had been tainted, was covered in filth. Looking around the bathroom she spotted the shower and climbed in. turning it scalding hot she sat in there, fully clothed, sobbing.

* * *

**A/N: there we go, as you can maybe tell I'm not the most… competent person for those kinda scenes but I hope it was ok. Please review!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Labyrinth of Life**

**Chapter 11: Snake Eyes**

**By coeurnoir**

* * *

Draco's eyes edged open. He felt like he had just been hit over the head with a lead broomstick. As he slowly came back to reality he noticed that the death eater that had been in his chambers was gone. So was Hermione.

His eyes swept the room with blurry vision to notice the bathroom door ajar. Frowning he hauled himself up off the floor and walked slowly into the bathroom, his fingers running against the wall to help his balance. He walked into the bathroom to find Hermione curled into the corner of the shower. He wasn't sure what to think.

"Hermione? Are you okay? What are you doing in the shower – with your clothes on?" She didn't answer him. He opened the shower door and turned off the water, noticing in the process that it was scalding hot, and it was directed straight onto her.

He reached out to her but she cringed away.

"What the-.? What was that for?" he tried to reach for her again but she whimpered and tried to get further into the corner.

"What did that guy do to you after he knocked me out? Did he touch you? What did he do?" Draco was seething; he sat outside the shower, waiting for Hermione to calm down.

Hermione was freaked. She still felt filthy; she had been in the shower for over an hour with the water as hot as she could stand. When Draco came in she couldn't even look at him. That death eater had knocked him out as though he were no more than a child. She felt helpless and anything but safe.

She turned her head a little to see that he had stopped trying to reach out to her and was simply sitting outside the shower recess getting soaked by the spray. She slowly reached up and turned off the shower, her head still down.

"I'm sorry for wasting water," she whispered. Draco's head popped up in surprise, her voice was raspy so he gathered she had been crying for a while.

"It's okay 'Mione, I wont let him touch you again, this time I'll make sure okay? I'm so sorry I let him get to you. Please honey, come out of the shower." He held out his hand one more time. This time she took it. He helped her up and enveloped her in a huge black bathrobe, putting the hood over her soaking hair. Then he drew her into a loving embrace, not wanting to let her go unless something else happened to her.

Going into his wardrobe he found some clothes for her to wear. Considering that Hermione was about a foot shorter than him and a small-framed girl, the clothes that he found for her were a little too big. He had to try not to laugh as she came out of the bathroom in a jersey that fell halfway to her knees and sleeves way past her hands. The tracksuit pants were no better; they had been rolled up several times and were still too long. He shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders. Smiling down at her he asked her how she was going. All he got in reply was an unsure smile that barely reached her eyes. He knew it was going to take her a little bit of time to get over the attack, he hoped she would get over it okay.

Draco left her for a couple of minutes to take a shower and change. He didn't want to leave her so he only had a two-minute shower and got dressed as quickly as he could.

When he returned he found Hermione next to the window of the room, watching the sunrise with a wistful expression. He knew how she felt, he hated being cooped up in a room and no fresh air. He heard a key turn in the lock and the door open. Instinctively he put himself between whoever was opening the door and Hermione.

It was Lucius' two death eaters. One of which Hermione recognised all too well.

"We're to take you down to see the master. Come quietly or the girl gets it… again." He leered at her suggestively to which Hermione almost retched. Draco put an arm around Hermione and pulled her toward the door.

"We'll come quietly. You touch her though and you're dead." Draco led Hermione out the door and down the hallway.

To Draco's confusion, they weren't shown to Lucius' study but to the drawing room downstairs. They were commanded to sit on two armchairs and were left alone.

Hermione looked over at Draco with a questioning look, not saying anything unless they were being listened to. Draco answered her with a shrug.

* * *

Tonks was one of the members of the order that was actually entering the mansion to look for the missing students. Other members were in various areas of the grounds causing distractions for the death eaters so that they wouldn't discover her. She was investigating the bottom story first when she saw a group of death eaters approaching. Squeezing herself into a gap between a bookshelf and a suit of armour in the foyer she slowed her breathing and kept dead still. As the group passed she recognised almost every face, including one that she really hadn't wanted to see on this particular mission. This man wasn't supposed to be arriving for another couple of hours according to their sources.

She swore silently and didn't move until she couldn't hear them before removing herself from her hiding spot and following them. Wherever he was going, she was pretty sure she'd find the kids.

* * *

They were left waiting in the room for about half an hour before sounds were heard outside and the door was opened.

Half a dozen death eaters entered the room, one of them flicking his wand, causing chains to spring out of the armchairs and encircle their wrists and feet.

They weren't quite prepared for who entered the room next though. A tall, gaunt figure in long black robes swept into the room and surveyed the captives with a cruel smile. His red eyes set in his snakelike face flashed in the dimly lit room. His hands were pale like the rest of his skin and the long bony fingers laced together behind his back held his long black wand. A wand, Hermione thought that had tried to kill Harry so many times. She cringed as she thought of the boy she had thought was a good friend for so long.

"Children, welcome. I have been waiting impatiently to see you. I am told that you potentially have very interesting information for me. Unfortunately my servant was incapable of retrieving that information himself. So, that would explain the bother I had to go through due to my people's incompetence." A few of the death eaters behind him cringed. Obviously they all knew what it was like to fall short of their master's expectations.

Voldemort walked forward to another chair in the room and sat down looking at Hermione. Studying her, looking straight into her eyes. It was Haunting to look into the blood red eyes, but she was hypnotised by them and found she couldn't take her eyes away from them. She started to shake, her head was aching, and it felt like someone was trying to rip into her skull.

Hermione fought it with all her strength, she had never officially learnt occlumency or been taught about legilimens, but naturally she had read all about them and knew enough to know that Voldemort was attempting to get inside her head.

Draco looked over at Hermione and instantly recognised that she was being drawn into Voldemort's spell. Draco was and experienced Legilimens and could even give his father a very good run for his money. He found himself concentrating on Hermione, going into a slight trance as he thought only of protecting her. As he concentrated on it he also peeked at how her barriers around her mind were going. She had put them up unconsciously but they were starting to falter. As he watched Voldemort crashed through both of their defences.

Hermione felt the pain worsen and knew that Voldemort had found his way into her mind. Not knowing what she was doing she screamed in frustration and energy poured out of her in waves. The room around them turned white and there was a fantastic explosion. As the explosion died down she opened her eyes to see all the death eaters sprawled on the floor and Voldemort slumped in the chair. The chains that had secured them to the chairs were incinerated, along with most of the fittings in the room. Looking over at Draco she saw him rubbing his eyes and patting at his smouldering robe.

"Coming?" She asked Draco as she turned to leave the room. He followed her out of the room, only to run smack into another person that had been sneaking outside the room. Picking themselves up off the floor, the witch looked at them in surprise.

"I thought you two needed rescuing? Not an escort out of the building!" Tonks laughed and grabbed their arms and dragged them out the front door of the building. As they ran for the front gate Tonks was cursing Death eaters out of their way and sending spells at the front gates, causing them to explode off their hinges leaving the way clear for their exit. As soon as they were out of the gates Tonks turned around and grabbed hold of their arms, apparating them to the back yard of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

* * *

When they arrived people were swarming around them asking them how they were and what had happened. Hermione opened her mouth to reply to them and fell down in a dead faint. They looked across at Draco to ask an explanation for what happened only to find he was in the same condition.

**A/N: read and review guys!!! i love reviews!!! if you dont give me them its like denying a child easter! pure torture...**


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